But the irregular feline trait isn’t just a quirk, munchkin cats suffer from a genetic disorder which results in their legs being unusually short.

While the cats may look cute, their stunted limbs impact mobility and they can struggle to run and jump.

Andrew Prentis, of Hyde Park Veterinary Centre has warned that it’s cruel to breed the cats knowing of their physical defects.

Vets have warned that breeding the cats to have shorter legs is cruel (Picture: Shutterstock)

The sausage-shaped cats struggle to run and jump (Picture: Getty)

He said: ‘The cat in its natural form has evolved over thousands of years to be pretty well designed and to be very efficient, healthy and athletic.

‘The idea that someone wants to breed them to have effectively no legs and for entirely cosmetic reasons is very disappointing.’

Munchkin or ‘sausage’ cats seem to be extremely popular at the moment. The trends has been accelerated by celebrities such as Paris Hilton who posts pictures and videos of her Munchkin cat Shorty on Instagram.

Breeders can often sell Munchkin kittens for up to £900, though the breed isn’t officially recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which is the largest cat registering organisation in Britain.

Animal rights groups are also warn that it’s ‘selfish’ to buy Munchkin cats simply because they’re currently in vogue, warning the trend could see a rise in the number of cats abandoned.

A spokesperson for PETA told Metro.co.uk: ‘Let’s leave cats be and admire them for their natural selves. They’re not bonsai trees to be contorted into unnatural shapes on a selfish whim.

‘The demand for “designer pets” is fuelling cruel breeding practices that cause animals to suffer from painful, debilitating conditions such as lordosis, whereby their spinal muscles grow too short, meaning that the spine arches inwards, because their bodies are unnaturally long. People who buy them view them in the same way one might a designer handbag – and once the novelty wears off, many animals will inevitably be abandoned, putting extra strain on already overburdened shelters.

‘And while breeders continue to profit from churning out felines with genetic mutations, thousands of healthy, highly adoptable cats languish in shelters, just waiting for someone to take them home.’